When he burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, Amit Mishra impressed with his classical, attacking legspin, relying mostly on flight and away turn while surprising batsmen with an odd googly. However, with the two giant spinners - Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh - at the peak of their powers leading the Indian spin attack, there wasn't a space available for him in the national squad.

Mishra made his international debut in 2003 during an ODI triangular in Bangladesh, but he had to wait until 2008 to get his first go in Tests. That opportunity came after an injury forced Kumble out of the Mohali Test against Australia. Mishra had a dream start to his Test career as he became the sixth Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul on debut, foxing the Australian batsmen with his variations and finishing with 14 wickets from three Tests. With his debut series coinciding with Kumble's last, it was the opening he needed to establish himself as India's first-choice legspinner.
But his inability to extract turn on benign wickets and the lack of accuracy were his failings as other spinners overtook him in the pecking order. The inconsistent performances at the top level meant that almost a decade after making his international debut, he still has only a sprinkling of Tests and ODIs under his belt.

Mishra's struggles in international cricket aside, he has remained a vital cog for the Haryana Ranji side over the years, collecting a bagful of wickets. But it's his performances in the IPL that keep him in the limelight. He has been one of the best spinners in the IPL and the only bowler to have three hat-tricks in the tournament.

A strong display in the 2013 IPL season, during which he kept the batsmen guessing with his variations in flight and pace, earned him a call-up for India's ODI squad for the Champions Trophy in England and the tour to Zimbabwe, two years after his last international appearance. And he didn't disappoint, picking up 18 wickets at an average of 11.61 in five ODIs against Zimbabwe.
In his thirties now, Mishra has shown improvements in his fielding and batting too - he registered his maiden first-class century, an unbeaten 202 against Karnataka in the 2012-13 Ranji season - but he has strong competition to beat before he can become a permanent fixture in the full-strength India squad. His efforts in IPL 2013, where he picked up 21 wickets, and played a key role as lead spinner of Sunrisers Hyderabad, helped Mishra make a comeback to the ODI squad for the Zimbabwe tour in July 2013. He rewarded the selectors' faith by taking the most wickets in a bilateral series, with 18 wickets in just five matches.Devashish Fuloria